Malawi Enjoys The Fellowship With The Students

“Are you putting on that British/African accent? Because I am understanding you better,” a BMW studet told Kathryn Jespersen as they were digging the foundation for our project. “Yes,” she smiled. All of us are speaking a bit differently these days, learning some Timbuka and trying to have our English understood. “Thomas,” Tonie Jo Schankweiler called across a mound of dirt to a BMW in the next trench, “Are you going to test my Timbuka?” “Yes,” Thomas called back, “and we will start with this: How are you?” “In Timbuka?” Tonie Jo clarified. “Yes, Timbuka,” Thomas said. Everyone working laughed. The students and our team members seem to be enjoying each other more and more.

Our project of a bathroom block is well underway. On Thursday we broke ground, digging a 15 ft x 20ft square, 5 ft. deep all around. The spots that could ot be dug with hoes and shovels were carved out with pickaxes and pulenskies. Needless to say, our team has been very tired by the end of each work day!

Digging only requires half of the team at a time, so everyone has been rotating jobs between construction and tasks around the base. With much determination by both BMW students and team members, the foundation was fully dug by Friday afternoon. We will be pouring the footers the building on Monday. It is exciting to see our project taking shape.

When not working on construction, the coveted job is procuring water at the well for the garden and plants on the base. The vehicle for carryig water for the base is a motorcycle that cuts off after the seat and has a little blue trailer in the back. Yellow water jugs are carried in the back to the well and those who are assisting with the pumping ride with the jugs. “I like this job because there are always people to talk to at the well, and good conversations with the BMW students,” Marina Tenny said.

On Saturday we took a day off of work and went to Mzuzu, a larger town about two hours away. The market was crowded, but we explored the narrow aisles for several hours, bartering for wrap skirts and machetes. Before leaving town, the team stopped at a grocery store and was able to buy some cookies and soda for the first time since arriving in Rumphi. When we returned to the base, we ate with the BMW students, who made us a standard Malawian meal called Sema. Sema is ground maize, which when cooked has a consistency somewhere between cream of wheat and rice. Sema is topped with relish, which can be anything: tomatoes, beans, greens, meat, etc. Our relish was soy bits, which tasked a bit like salty pork. The kids seemed to really enjoy the meal. After dinner we had a fun night and played sardines. The whole team seemed to go to bed in high spirits.

On Sunday we attended Holy Ghost Pentacostal Church in the nearby village of Bolero. Haydn Leatherland and Kathryn Jespersen gave their testimonies and the group sang two songs. After the sermon, we were asked to come to the front so that the whole church could greet us individually. They were very warm and welcoming!

Sunday afternoon was spent in verse review, resting, and playing with the assorted children who wander into base each afternoon.

We look forward to raising this building brick by brick and, more importantly, building more and more upon the friendships we’ve formed here.

That is all for this week. May the Lord bless you and keep you! Continue to lift us up as the Lord brings us to mind!